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[[File:Fuente em Gredos.jpg|thumb|9 leguas a Ávila in geographical league]]
The ''legua'' or Spanish league was originally understood as equivalent to {{nowrap|3 ''[[milla (unit)|millas]]''}} (Spanish [[mile]]s).<ref name="Spence 1997, p. 32">Spence, {{nowrap|E. Lee.}} ''Spence's Guide to Shipwreck Research'', {{nowrap|p. 32.}} Narwhal Press ([[Charleston, South Carolina|Charleston]]), 1997.</ref> This varied depending on local standards for the ''[[pie (unit)|pie]]'' (Spanish [[foot (unit)|foot]]) and on the precision of measurement, but was officially equivalent to {{nowrap|4,180 [[meter]]s}} (2.6 [[mile]]s) before the ''legua'' was abolished by [[Philip II of Spain|Philip II]] in 1568. It remains in use in parts of [[Latin America]], where its exact meaning varies.
* ''Legua nautica'' (nautical league): Between 1400 and 1600 the Spanish nautical league was equal to four Roman miles of 4,842 feet, making it 19,368 feet (5,903 meters or 3.1876 modern nautical miles). That seems pretty
* ''Legua de por grado'' (league of the degree): From the 15th century through the early 17th century, the Spanish league of the degree was based on four Arabic miles. Although most contemporary accounts used an Arabic mile of 6,444 feet (1,964 meters), which gave a Spanish league of the degree of 25,776 feet (7,857 meters or 4.242 modern nautical miles) others defined an Arabic mile as just 6,000 feet making a Spanish league of the degree 24,000 feet (or 7,315 meters, almost exactly 3.950 modern nautical miles).<ref>S''pence's Guide to Shipwreck Research'', by Dr. E. Lee Spence, Narwhal Press, Charleston/Miami, © by Edward L. Spence, 1997, p. 32</ref>
* ''Legua geographica'' or ''geográfica'' (geographical league): Starting around 1630 the Spanish geographical league was used as the official nautical measurement and continued so through the 1840s. Its use on Spanish charts did not become mandatory until 1718. It was four millias (miles) in length. From 1630 to 1718 a millia was 5,564 feet (1696 meters), making a geographical league of four millias equal 22,256 feet (6784 m or 3.663 modern nautical miles). But from 1718 through the 1830s the millia was defined as the equivalent of just over 5,210 feet, giving a shorter geographical league of just over 20,842 feet (6,353 m or 3.430 modern nautical miles).<ref name="Spence 1997, p. 32" />
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